SURPRISE ME!

Into Assam's Wilderness

Prachi Joshi

Last updated: Apr 3, 2017

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It’s not sunrise yet but you’re already out in the grasslands on the back of an elephant. As the sounds of the awakening jungle ring out all around, you literally sail through the grassy ‘sea’. Suddenly your ride stops near a watering hole and the ferocious-looking Indian one-horned rhino comes into view. No, it’s not a dream; welcome to Kaziranga National Park! The North East state of Assam boasts of not one, not two but five wildlife sanctuaries and it’s one of the few places in India where you are almost guaranteed to see big game.

The top tourist attraction in Assam, Kaziranga National Park is spread out over 430 square kilometres on the south bank of the Brahmaputra. With almost 2,000 rhinos in its boundaries, it’s the best place to spot these endangered animals. Elephant-back rides are conducted very early in the morning and during the day you can ride out into the jungle in jeeps. Apart from rhinos, you can see elephants, bison, barasingha deer, otters and if you are very lucky, a tiger!

Dibru-Saikhowa-National-Park — **Dibru-Saikhowa National Park**

A confluence of unspoilt grassland and wetlands, Dibru-Saikhowa is a biosphere reserve located near Tinsukia town in Assam. It’s a river island encircled by the Brahmaputra and Dibru rivers and is covers some 350 square kilometres. The landscape is beautiful, almost surreal with semi-evergreen and deciduous forests, grasslands and one of the largest swamp forests. The reserve was originally created to conserve the rare white-winged wood duck but it also teems with elephants, tigers, water buffalos, flying squirrels, langurs, snakes, vultures, swamp prinias, babblers and more.

Brahmaputra-and-Dibru-rivers — Photo Credit : Rubul Deka / flickr

Manas National Park

The UNESCO Natural World Heritage site of Manas National Park is a tiger and elephant reserve located in the Eastern Himalayan foothills in Assam. The Manas River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, passes through the reserve lending it its name. With an area of 360 square kilometres, the sanctuary is divided into three ranges with the central Bansbari range being the most popular. It is home to several endangered wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, Hispid hare, Golden langur and Bengal florican. Apart from these, you can spot elephants, rhinos, tigers, leopards, a variety of deer, hornbills, pelicans, egrets and eagles.

Nameri National Park

The Sonitpur district of Assam is home to the 200 square kilometre large Nameri National Park, which shares its border with the Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. It’s part of the Nameri Tiger Reserve and you have a good chance of spotting the big cat on a safari here. Other animals in the reserve include elephants, leopards, deer and sloth bears. Birds such as eagles, vultures, storks and hornbills can also be seen. Apart from wildlife safaris, you can go river rafting on the Jia Bhoroli River or even go trekking into the forests.

Orang National Park

Also known as mini Kaziranga, Orang National Park is located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra and spans about 80 square kilometres. You can spot the one-horned rhino here as well as elephants, tigers, water buffalos and the endangered pygmy hogs. The park has 12 wetlands and a great number of water birds and migratory birds can be seen here including pelicans, storks, ducks, mallards and hornbills, among others.

Orang-National-Park

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Comments

dungeon Hunter ... | on 04 January 2016

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